This is copy #10 of the Super Deluxe S&G, with an original drawing by Sanderson inside. The seller also claims that this is copy "10 of only 250". Is there something I have missed, or is this a typo?

I quite like the picture. I wouldn't pay that much money, but I do think it really adds to the book.

With regards to the 250, I guess it is either a typo or the seller knows something we don't. Probably the former, although I wouldn't actually be surprised if they have only bound 250 copies up so far and bind more depending on sales. Purely speculation, of course.

I think this edition might be growing on me a bit. It definitely seems to look a bit more vibrant in natural light.

Our copy of the super de luxe edition arrived here in Massachusetts yesterday, 5 June. We had reserved a copy as soon as it was possible to do so, though it's not clear if that affected the copy number received (48). After there was no contact from HarperCollins' customer services as promised by their e-mail of 19 May, we put an order through their website on the 24th. Despite having paid by credit card, and the amount had cleared the bank, on 3 June we received an invoice from HarperCollins for the full amount of the book, plus GBP4.99 postage as expected, as well as a surprise GBP7.44 "DHL Post Charge". On querying this, we were told that the extra charge was in error, and that we would receive the book within 14-21 days. Happily, it didn't take that long, and the book was well wrapped and in a sturdy box. It came by DHL to the U.S., then by regular post.

Thanks for the tip Findegil. I too live in Massachusetts (in Holden, probably not too far from you guys). I hadn't noticed it before your post here, but I was also assessed the 'DHL charge.' My credit card shows a single transaction for $410.13. I hadn't yet checked the exchange rate that was used, but it sure looks like the DHL charge is in there. If this was indeed a mistake, HC should be notifying customers who were assessed this charge and issuing refunds. However, I am very skeptical and would be surprised if this wasn't intentional, knowing that only a few customers will go through the hassle of refuting the charge.

Understand that I am not complaining about the cost of shipping, because even with the 7.44 DHL charge, the cost to post to the U.S. is not unreasonable. However, the backdoor tactic being employed here is disturbing. It is very difficult to tell whether this is just due to HC retail being disorganized and running a loose operation, or if it was deliberate. Unfortunately, past experiences (from many TCG members) have been less than stellar with HC retail, and this is not helping to improve their reputation.

I will inquire with HC about this, although I have had a lot of difficulty receiving responses from them in the past, so I do not have high hopes. Thanks for the info, Wayne and Christina.

However, I am very skeptical and would be surprised if this wasn't intentional, knowing that only a few customers will go through the hassle of refuting the charge.

I have had more problems with HC than most, but I don't think they are in the game of *intentionally* scamming anyone (other than perhaps with the inflated prices of some of their books! :)). I honestly think the Tolkien website side of their business is something they don't have the time or interest in to deal with properly, so they make lots and lots of mistakes (which they do not appear to learn from).

For instance, my copy turned up at work without my name on it (just the address and company name) and apparently with no paperwork to identify me inside, either. So instead of getting a nice shrink-wrapped copy, I got a copy opened and thumbed over by our receptionist (who fortunately had clean fingers)! I only found out it had arrived a couple of days later because it was on reception awaiting someone identifying it (our receptionist had sent an email request to the office, but had ironically used the wrong address for the mailing list) ! Now in this case, no harm was done, but if I had been planning on keeping it shrink-wrapped as an investment copy, I would probably have been a bit miffed.

The number of cock-ups I have witnessed definitely imply incompetence, not anything more sinister.

I didn't mean to say that HC was up to anything 'sinister.' However, I am certain that HC is having to pay more than 5 GBP to ship these books to the U.S. I would not be surprised if they realized how big a hit they were taking, and decided to pass (at least some of) this on to the U.S. customers, without posting it amongst the payment information.

So, what I really meant to say, is that I believe HC 'intentionally' passed this cost on to international buyers, but forgot to add anything about it in the payment information on the website. I don't think it is a scam, just more disorganization and poor communication. I don't blame them for wanting more money for shipping, as it can be quite expensive to ship overseas, especially in the size box they use.